FINANCIAL AID

According to federal regulations, students must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Eligibility (Federal regulation 34 CFR 668.34). Requirements for academic progress for financial aid recipients are applied differently than PCCC’s Academic Standards.

Federal regulation states that SAP standards must include a review of all attempted credits for all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not aid was received.  This includes transfer credits, repeated credits, credits by exam and academic bankruptcy credits regardless of program changes.  The student must meet all minimum standards in order to continue receiving financial aid. This includes Pell, FSEOG, Federal Work-study Federal Direct Loans and New Jersey state aid program (TAG, CCOG, EOF, etc.). 

What is measured and description of each measurement:

At PCCC, SAP is run at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. There are 3 main components to this evaluation.  

Qualitative – student must achieve the following GPA
For students seeking Associate Degree:

• 0-29.5 credits: a cumulative GPA of 1.6 or higher is required.
• 30 or more: a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is required. 

For students seeking Certificate: 

• 0-14.5 credits: a cumulative GPA of 1.6 or higher is required. 
• 15 or more: a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is required. 

Quantitative – comparison of the number of attempted credits versus the number of completed credits toward the students’ degree or certificate (including credits earned prior to Academic Bankruptcy). 
Students must achieve the following completion percentage (including credits deleted due to Academic Bankruptcy) 

For students seeking Associate Degree:

• 0-29.5 credits complete 50% of courses attempted
• 30 or more complete 67% of courses attempted

For students seeking Certificate:

• 0-14.5 credits complete 50% of courses attempted
• 15 or more complete 67% of courses attempted

Maximum Timeframe: The number of credits earned above the 150% of the published length of the program

An Associate Degree program requiring  60 college-level credits	The maximum time frame is 90 credits 60 x 150% = 90 credits
A certificate program requiring 30 college-level credits	The maximum time frame is 45 credits 30 x 150% = 45 credits

Attempted Credit Hours: Attempted credit hours are defined as the hours for which the student is enrolled and charged on the census date (the 10th day of enrollment) of the semester.

Earned or completed hours: Earned or completed hours are defined as the hours for which the student has earned a grade of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D”, “F”, or “PC*”. Grades of “W”, “XF”, “F”, “I”, “NC*”, and “Audit” are not considered earned credit hours. (*PC and NC grades were only used for the Spring 2020 term). A grade of “D” is considered passing for federal SAP standards but may not be considered passing for specific coursework taken at the college, and or academic progression/academic placement.

To receive funds from the State of New Jersey, students must register for a minimum of six (6) credits each semester. Academic progress regulations are the same as the federal regulations.

To receive funds from the State of New Jersey, students must register for a minimum of six (6) credits each semester. Academic progress regulations are the same as the federal regulations.

Developmental and ELS Courses: Financial Aid will fund up to thirty (30) credits of remedial courses. Remedial and ELS courses count towards maintaining satisfactory academic progress

SAP Status Definitions:

Once SAP is run, students will fall into one of the following statuses:

Satisfactory: Eligible for financial aid for next term

Warning: Not meeting SAP, but eligible for financial aid for next term. Students in this status are at risk of losing their financial aid if their performance does not improve.

Unsatisfactory: The student is not meeting the SAP standards and is not eligible for financial aid in the next term. The student has the right to appeal against the decision.

Max Time Frame: The student has attempted more than 150% of the number of credits to complete their degree (60 x 150% = 90 credits). A student in this status may appeal if the number of attempted credits is less than 95 and the student has 15 or less credits remaining to complete their degree.

Students are notified of their status via their portal email account.

SAP Appeal Process:
Students are notified by PCCC e-mail if their status is Warning, Unsatisfactory or Maximum Timeframe. Unsatisfactory and Maximum Timeframe students may appeal the decision; instructions and the deadline for appeals are included in the e-mail. Students who wish to file an appeal should be sure to make note of the deadline and submit their appeal in a timely fashion. Deadlines and instructions are also posted on the Financial Aid web page. Appeals should include a clear explanation of why the student was not successful and what steps have been taken that will help the student succeed currently.

SAP Appeal Decisions:
Probation
Students are notified by PCCC email of the appeal decision. Decisions include:

Students who submit an appeal and are approved for a semester of “Probation” are expected to regain eligibility by meeting the Financial Aid Standards of Satisfactory Academic Performance and Progress by the end of the next term. If the student does not meet the SAP standards at the end of the next term, he/she will not be eligible for financial aid in future terms but can submit an appeal for an Academic Plan.

Academic Plan
Students who submit an appeal and are approved for an Academic Plan may not withdraw from a course and cannot earn less than a semester GPA of 2.0 at the end of each semester. Students on an Academic Plan will be evaluated at the end of each semester. If the student continues to meet the criteria stated above, he/she will remain eligible for financial aid but will remain on an Academic Plan until either the plan expires, or they meet the regular financial aid SAP standards.

If the student does not meet the conditions of the Academic Plan, they will not be eligible for financial aid in future semesters

Denied
Students who submit an appeal and are denied, are not eligible for financial aid for the next term. However, if there are extenuating circumstances which can be documented, the student may request a re-evaluation of the appeal denial to the Director of Financial Aid.

Students who are denied are encouraged to resubmit an appeal the following semester if their circumstances have improved. The new appeal must include a clear explanation of why the student was not successful. Administrative errors and exceptions to the following SAP designations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Financial Aid, the Associate Director of Financial Aid or the Assistant Director of Financial Aid.

Failure to meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress does not preclude a student from enrolling in subsequent semesters at their own expense provided the student meets the academic requirements of the College.